


Heartening

by rashiisa



Category: The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Canon Compliant, Domestic Fluff, M/M, Zine: All That Glitters Is Silver
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-27
Updated: 2018-11-27
Packaged: 2020-07-22 23:11:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20000020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rashiisa/pseuds/rashiisa
Summary: It's not until Rafael sets fire to Max's bed that Magnus and Alec start to think their son is more than a Shadowhunter.





	Heartening

**Author's Note:**

> *forgets she wrote a malec fic for a zine, and remembers two years later* oops!
> 
> It's never too late!!

  


It started with a tiny comment from Max about Rafael’s no-warlock-powers.

Magnus didn’t take it seriously, furthermore, he couldn’t avoid smile before the evident pride in Max’s face every time someone praised his pretty skin tone, bright indigo like the sea beneath the sun, or the playful sheen on his huge irises—he was told he was beautiful and would be a great warlock. _Of course he will!,_ Magnus used to beam, taking Max in his arms as the kid sputtered into giggles.

“Don’t you think you’re spoiling him too much?” Alec asked quietly one day, leaning against the counter of the kitchen as Magnus wandered from one side to another to make breakfast.

Magnus stopped at the fridge and blinked at him, frowning a little. “Am I?”

“Well, a client of yours came yesterday asking for help about the king of the Unseelie Court and—Max told him _he_ was the only king because you told him so.”

Staying silent for a few seconds, Magnus whispered coyly, “He’s got a point.”

“...really?”

“Don’t make a fuss about it, darling. He’s okay.” He closed the fridge door after taking a carton of milk. “Besides, it won’t hurt him a little to pamper—”

“Papa!” Max’s voice cut him off from the other side of the house.

After a beat in which Alec sent him a stern look, they rushed to the kids’ bedroom, finding Max’s bed on fire and Rafael seated on Max’s back, the little warlock squirming and grunting.

“Hey, hey, stop!” Alec hurried to separate them, holding Rafael by his armpits. “What happened here?!”

“Rafael did it!” Max’s finger pointed to his brother, standing up as Magnus cooled down the flames with his magic.

Rafael pouted. “He says I’m not as cool as him because he’s a warlock and I’m not!”

“It’s true!” Max turned to Magnus. “Papa, isn’t it better to be a warlock than to be a shadowhunter? Sorry, dad. I love you but—”

“Hold on,” Alec paused him with a hand, and looked down at Rafael. “Rafael. How…how did you do that.”

“With my magic,” Rafael smiled, moving his tiny fingers.

“Magic?” Magnus repeated, turning to them once there was no fire left.

“Like yours, Papa!” The kid shouted, running towards Magnus with his arms open.

Magnus took him, smiling a bit when Rafael’s hands cupped his face with affection. “Sweetie, I need to look into this. Will you help me?”

  


* * *

  


“This is amazing.”

Lying on the couch, Rafael opened his eyes and blinked up at Magnus, whose hands were hovering over him, emitting blue sparkles from his palms.

“What,” Alec walked closer to him. “What is it?”

“He has…demon blood.” Magnus frowned. “I think he’s—he’s half-Shadowhunter, half-warlock.”

Alec bent down, next to Rafael to see intently if there was something wrong. “But—he doesn’t have any mark.”

“Maybe we haven’t seen it yet.” Magnus stopped his hands and told Rafael not to fight with Max again. The kid agreed and left the dining room.

Magnus gazed at Alec. “We should ask someone else, don’t you think?”

Alec stood up. “Ask who?”

“The Clave.” He didn’t blink, putting a hand on his hip.

“What? Why?!” Alec stepped back, his heart promptly pounding when golden eyes stared at him.

Magnus sighed. “They can tell us if Rafael’s father is a demon or a warlock.”

“I thought warlocks can’t have children.”

“But what if they _can_?” Magnus asked, quirking his lips up towards the end of the question as he approached Alec. “What if there’s this tiny possibility of warlocks having babies on their own?”

“No, Magnus, we’re not taking our son to the Clave just for a ‘what if’. You know they don’t like very much the idea of a warlock raising a shadowhunter.”

“ _Half_ shadowhunter,” Magnus pointed out, raising a finger before swallowing and licking his lips. “Alexander, think about it.” He rubbed Alec’s arm to soothe him. “All my life, decades of solitude, I’ve thought I couldn’t have children. And I’m not the only one.” The shadowhunter landed his gaze on the floor. “Rafael is the ray of hope warlocks can have.”

“Magnus,” Alec looked up, voice raguish. “We _can’t_ take him there.”

“We’ll be with him the whole time.” He cupped his cheek, tone softening until it was a brief murmur. “Listen to me—you’re the head of the Institute, and I’m the High Warlock of Brooklyn. They need us. They can’t hurt him.”

“I—I’m…”

“I know.” Magnus whispered, lips grazing Alec’s forehead in a soft kiss. “I’m scared too.”

Taking a long breathe through his nose, Alec closed his eyes and circled Magnus’ back with his arms, fisting the clothes in an attempt to appease the tremour in his hands.

“We’ll protect him. Together,” Magnus muttered against his temple. “Okay?”

  


* * *

  


They had been discussing for more than half an hour, and Rafael was already tired of listening to the members of the Clave and his dads talking about his blood, repeating all over again that his actual father could be a warlock after explaining what had happened that morning.

“That’s not possible.”

And Magnus suspired once again, squeezing Rafael’s hand under the table whenever one member of the meeting landed their cold gaze on him.

“We only want to know if there’s a chance warlocks can have children,” Alec said, earning a grateful look from Magnus.

The official seated right in front of Alec held his glance for a few seconds just before exhaling deeply and gesturing another man on the other side of the tablet, who stood up and took Rafael to another room.

Magnus assured Rafael that it would be just a moment, and Alec’s eyes and his followed them the whole way. If they took too long, either of them would break the door down, grab Rafael and finish the entire Clave off. Well, not literally, but they didn’t have to take drastic measures since the official and Rafael came back a little while later.

Alec swallowed a bit loudly and Magnus raised his chin, eyes sharp against the neutral gaze of the man behind Rafael, who rushed to their side.

“The kid’s got demon blood, no doubt. But it doesn’t belong to a warlock,” he said, hands behind his back and voice as cold as all the members of the Clave.

Magnus was too sceptical sometimes, but asking ‘are you sure?’ would’ve been out of place. He felt somehow frustrated, sure, but his son was right next to him, totally okay, and he was a warlock. Not a hundred percent, but still a warlock, and it didn’t matter after all. Hybrids like him were already a chance for his people to keep trying.

So he relaxed the tension on his shoulders and thanked them for their time, assuring that they would raise Rafael as a hybrid, between Shadowhunters and Downworlders, getting the best of both worlds to establish the perfect balance on his powers.

The members of the Clave had nothing more to add.

“I want to talk to Tessa about this,” Magnus said later, when nobody was around.

Holding Rafael’s hand, Alec rubbed Magnus’ arm in a kind gesture. “See you at home, then.”

“Yeah,” Magnus whispered, leaning in to kiss him. He let him go through the hallway, and couldn’t contain his smile.

  


* * *

  


A bit late in the afternoon, Magnus walked into the dining room and found the three loves of his life sleeping on the couch, Alec’s each arm surrounding Max and Rafael.

Fondness flooded his stomach until Magnus was smiling so hard his cheeks almost hurt. It had been a tough day, really, full of surprises and disappointments, and the fear of what would happen from that moment was still there—it was the fear of the unknown, but Magnus was already used to it thanks to having lived for so long. Still, Alec’s concern had Magnus wondering if he had done well to show Rafael to the world, and realised that Tessa must’ve gone through the same.

And there she was, living like there was no tomorrow with her children and her husband. Free and safe.

Happy.

“Well then, I think we can call it a day,” he muttered, walking towards the couch.

He leaned over and kissed Alec’s head, making him cease his snores for a moment and curl up more, unconsciously pulling the kids closer in a protective embrace.

Magnus knew at the instant that everything was going to be okay.

  


**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> [Twitter](https://twitter.com/rashiisa) / [Tumblr](rashiisa.tumblr.com)


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